Soon after Rays' right-hander Jeff Niemann left Monday's start against the Blue Jays with a leg injury, manager Joe Maddon said that Niemann would be out for "a couple months", but later reports said that he could be out as little as four to six weeks. It seemed like there was at least a small chance that a fast-healing Niemann could be back sooner than Maddon's original estimate.

On Wednesday, though, they eliminated that chance:

#Rays place Guyer on DL with sore shoulder, Niemann to 60-day DL and Thompson added to roster.

— RMooneyTrib (@RMooneyTrib) May 16, 2012

With Brandon Guyer going on the DL, and Rich Thompson coming from the Phillies in a trade, the Rays needed a roster spot. Putting Niemann on the 60-day DL frees up that roster spot.

Niemann's spot in the rotation will either be filled by Alex Cobb or Chris Archer, both right-handers pitching for the Durham Bulls.